. . . Elder Christian Christiansen, who was sent as a missionary from Utah to preside over the Scandinavian Saints in the Western States, relates the following about the emigrants who stopped in Burlington: "On the 29th of February, 1856, about 150 Scandinavian emigrants arrived on Burlington, Iowa, to be placed under my jurisdiction, as they , through lack of means, were enable to continue the journey to Utah that year. I assisted them in the transportation of their luggage across the Mississippi River on the ice, and brought them to a house belonging to an apostate 'Mormon' by the name of Thomas Arthur, of whom I had hired a room for the accommodation of the emigrants—the only one I could secure in the whole town. On that day the editors of the Burlington papers announced to the public the startling fact that the town had been 'taken' by the 'Mormons.' Without friends or money I stood in the midst of my poor brethren, not knowing what to do; but I set to work in earnest and succeeded in finding employment for some of the brethren as wood choppers in the country, where I also rented a number of empty cabins for the Saints, who subsisted on corn meal, bacon and other articles of food which they received as advance payment for their labors. For the young men and women I also secured places as servants, and in Burlington alone I found places for 50 of them. I also hired wagons and took some of the emigrants to Montrose and Keokuk in search of employment. Thus, in less than a week after the arrival of the emigrants at Burlington, all who were able to work had found something to do. But there was number of other persons who needed financial aid, and as I had no money I approached one of the emigrants who had a twenty dollar gold piece, but he was an unbeliever and refused to lend his money to me, or anyone else, even for the relief of the sick. A few days later he died, and his widow promptly advanced me the means; thus I secured the necessary medicines and other things needed by the sufferers. My next step was to organize the Saints into branches of the Church, over which I appointed presidents. After a little while everything went well, and in a remarkable short time the emigrants earned means enough to continue their journey to the valley. . . ." [p.107]
BIB: Christiansen, Christian [Report] IN History of the Scandinavian Mission by Andrew Jenson, (Deseret News Press: SLC, 1927), p. 107. (CHL)
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